HOUGHTON CHARLES SKETCH by JOHN

A SKETCH of my FATHER'S LIFE

CHARLES HOUGHTON

by JOHN THOMAS HOUGHTON

My father, Charles Houghton was born 3 March 1874 in Heather, England, the son of George Houghton and Sarah Ann Wragg.  He was the only boy in the family and having three sisters.  His father died when my father was three years of age, leaving his mother to raise the family.  Not long after, his mother died leaving the oldest sister to raise the family.

            He started working when only nine years of age.  He married my mother five years after they met at a carnival, on 25  May, 1896 in Heather, Leicestershire, England.  They were both baptized [Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints] 8 September, l904.  He is the only member of his family who joined the Church.  He held the office of priest [in the Aaronic Priesthood] when he died.

            After joining the Church, he brought his family to Castle Gate, Carbon County, Utah.  His first job was loading coal in No. 1 Mine for the Utah Fuel Company.  He had this job for ten years, after which he went driving a team of horses on the outside of the mine.  He drove this team until a truck was purchased and this he drove for 20 years.  On account of ill health, he was taken off the truck and never worked again. 

He died 5 September, 1937 and was buried at Price, Utah, 7 September, 1937.

A SKETCH of my MOTHER'S LIFE

CATHERINE BURROWS

by JOHN THOMAS HOUGHTON

My mother's maiden name was Catherine Burrows.  She was born in Swannington, Leicestershire, England.  Her father's name was Herbert Burrows and her mother's maiden name was Sarah Ann Ward.  She had six sisters and five brothers making twelve children.  She has one sister and two brothers living [at the time of this writing].  She attended Sunday School and reached the fourth grade in public school  She had to help take care of the family while her mother did the shopping, etc. 

She met father at a carnival where he asked her to ride the merry-go-round with he and his sister.  She did, after which he escorted her home.  They were sweethearts for five years before they were married.  He being twenty-one and she nineteen years of age.  They lived in Heather, Leicestershire, England.  Eight children were born to this union, five of which died when small and are buried in England.  I have two brothers living here in Castle Gate. 

      My mother and father were converted to the church and emigrated to this county where they settled in Castle Gate, Utah.  She had a brother, Arthur Burrows already here when she arrived.  My oldest brother Charles Arthur was born in England and was small when they came to Castle Gate.  Here Wilfred and myself were born.